All You Need To Know About Parliamentary Forums
Introduction
The goal of the Parliamentary Forums is to inform members about particular issues of national concern, as well as to help them handle pertinent challenges with a focus on results. Participants have the chance to speak with the relevant Ministers, specialists, and prominent figures from the nodal Ministries at these forums.
Goals of The Establishment of Parliamentary Forums
• To provide members with a venue for dialogue on pressing issues with pertinent ministers, subject-matter experts, and important figures from nodal ministries, with an emphasis on accelerating the implementation process.
• Sensitize members to important areas of concern as well as the actual situation, and give them access to the most recent data, expertise, and technical know-how from domestic and international experts so they can effectively bring up these issues in the House and during meetings of various parliamentary committees.
• Create a database of important topics that pertain to each parliamentary forum, gleaned from various sources like the relevant ministries, the UN, NGOs, the internet, newspapers, etc., and make it available to members so they can actively participate in the meetings of the forums.
The Parliamentary Forums' Membership
• All Forums have an ex-officio President, with the exception of the Parliamentary Forum on Population and Public Health, where the Speaker serves as the ex-officio Co-President and the Chairman of Rajya Sabha serves as the ex-officio President.
• The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the relevant Ministers, and the Chairman of department-related Standing Committees are the ex-officio Vice-Presidents of the respective forums.
• A maximum of 31 people can attend each forum, not including the president, vice president, and co-president.
• Members of the forum hold office for the same term as their tenure in the relevant House. A participant may leave the forum by submitting a resignation letter to the speaker chairperson.
Functions
The following is a list of the various Parliamentary Forums' duties:
Parliamentary Forum on Water Management and Conservation
• To recognize water-related problems and provide solutions for the relevant organizations and governments to consider.
• To find out how lawmakers may contribute to the preservation and improvement of water resources in their own states or constituency.
• To increase public understanding of water management and conservation, hold lectures and seminars.
• To complete any extra pertinent tasks that it deems appropriate.
• To focus discussions at the Parliamentary Forum on Youth on how to use youth human capital to speed up development efforts.
• To increase awareness among the general public, governmental leaders, and the general public at large, of the potential to influence socioeconomic change.
• Engage in regular dialogue with youth representatives and leaders to gain a deeper understanding of their hopes, aspirations, concerns, and challenges.
• To take into account ways to increase Parliament's accessibility to different youth demographic groups in order to increase their belief in and commitment to democratic institutions and promote active participation in them.
Parliamentary Forum on Children
• To increase legislators' awareness of and understanding of important issues impacting children's wellbeing so that they may take the needed leadership to guarantee that the right developmental pace is maintained.
• To offer Parliamentarians with a structured forum for exchanging opinions, viewpoints, experiences, and professional practices regarding children through, workshops, seminars, and orientation programs.
• To provide Parliamentarians with a channel of communication with the general public in an effort to increase awareness of children's concerns and, as a result, to foster successful strategic partnerships in this field.
• To accept any additional tasks, jobs, or projects that the Forum considers acceptable.
Parliamentary Forum on Population and Public Health
• Population stabilization strategies and concerns associated to them will be the focus of debate at the Parliamentary Forum on Population and Public Health.
• To discuss and develop plans for addressing issues related to public health.
• To increase awareness of propulsion control and public health among all societal groups, especially at the grassroots level.
• To interact with experts at the national and international levels, multilateral organizations like the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund, academic institutions, and governmental organizations in a thorough dialogue and discussion about population and public health.
Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change and Global Warming
• To identify concerns relating to climate change and global warming and to offer recommendations/suggestions for the government or organizations in charge to take into consideration in order to reduce the severity of global warming.
• Find opportunities for lawmakers to speak with experts from national and international organizations that are striving to tackle climate change and global warming, with a focus on creating cutting-edge technologies to do so.
Parliamentary Forum on Disaster Management
• To identify issues with disaster management and provide recommendations/suggestions to the government or organizations in question for consideration and necessary action to lessen the effects of disasters.
• Establishing channels of communication between Members of Parliament and professionals working for national and international disaster management organizations, as well as stepping up efforts to develop cutting-edge technologies to lessen the consequences of disasters.
• To host lectures or workshops to educate lawmakers on the causes and effects of catastrophes.
Parliamentary Forum on Craftspeople and Artists
• To bring important issues facing craftsmen and craftspeople to the attention of legislators in order to conserve and promote traditional art forms through a variety of means.
• To offer a formal venue for lawmakers to discuss their ideas, viewpoints, information, experiences, and best practices with regard to artisans and craftspeople.
• To engage in extensive contact and discussion on topics related to the preservation of art and traditional craft as well as the promotion of craftsmen and crafters with organizations and professionals at the national and international levels.
Parliamentary Forum on Development Goals
• To give lawmakers a forum for discussion with the public on issues related to the MDGs, such as the eradication of poverty, reducing hunger, ensuring universal access to education, empowering women, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, and creating long-term development partnerships.
Conclusion
The Forum's overarching goal is to use parliamentary action to help establish societies that are more peaceful and sustainable.